To Tame A Dragon
by Lovin'Spoonfuls
Summary: Dragons cannot be confined, loved or be tamed to the untrained eye. It may just take that one special person to grasp something deemed truly impossible, by encouraging the Dragon to be something more worth while;to actually be loved, or to fully embrace those who do. Adventure/Romance/Friendship/Drama *Not necessarily in that order.
1. The Beginning

**Thanks to everyone who had reviewed my previous story! THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH! You guys are truly an inspiration. So much so, that I've come up with anther story that will take me forever to update. HOORAY! Lol!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...**

**Takes place in the ****mid evil time zone. So it's really A.U-ish. Lol!**

In a time where pure magic and fantasy fully existed; fables of witches, and trolls roamed tirelessly throughout the earth- With Sorcerers who wreaked havoc upon the innocent; trying to gain control with all of the powers of the universe. A mystical world to where the largest of beasts in the land called Dragons was born.

It was a place that was beyond mortal comprehension.

But it was also a place where lushes of green hills and land grew bountiful- much of it going untouched, and unexplored by man- where love, life and survival had conquered all who inhabited it; dismal and against all odds, or fated towards the positive side of the steady beats of two people's heart.

This is a story of one little girl's passion, eventually growing into a younger woman's gain.

This is her life, and how she found herself defeating all evil, and finding love in the most unexpected way…

It all had began on a high, lonely hilltop, in a one bedroom shack hidden away from moving travelers; away from the daily routines of the hectic city life. A family of two who lived, and shared their time of solitude together; the older woman who resided there, much preferred it that way. With what her granddaughter had endured in her first four years of life, it seemed the most practical and safest way to raising her.

Especially since the woman practiced witch craft heavily, as if it were bred into her bones. During their life time it was sorely forbidden; shunned upon by the many in their home land. It did not matter if they were rich, poor, a man, woman or child.

It was devastatingly wrong in the world of the living, and in the "sane".

The old lady smiled down at the little girl who sat at her kitchen table, running a callused hand through her crimson mane; lost in her own thoughts. The six year old had such long, beautiful thick hair that glittered brighter than the sun, and it would forever remind the grey haired woman of her own daughter's who had unexpectedly died during the crusade invasion only five years prior. But, she wouldn't shed a single tear more, for she saw greatness in this little wonder that sat at her woodened table. She knew the day when this baby was born that it had great potential. All Verdona had to do, was to teach her in the ways of the Anodite. It was more or less a well long forgotten tribe of witch craft that'd been handed down from generation to generation with other family members who were lucky, and fortunate enough to have been born with "the spark". Verdona marveled in the girl's possibilities.

"Grandma?" A small voice hovered about; echoing in the older's ears, bringing the woman out of her silent reverie.

"Hm?" Verdona responded, a bit distracted at first, but gaining control right away upon seeing her granddaughter's face of concern. "Oh, I'm sorry dear." She chuckled, pushing another stray lock of red away from the girl's lavish, and dark green eyes. "I wasn't on earth there for a minute- Did you say something?"

A sigh of annoyance escaped from the pink folds of the younger one, causing her to twist rapidly in her seat, facing her grandmother head on. "I asked if we could go to town today, and watch the celebration." Seeing the distant response immediately from Verdona, the small child continued, rabidly stressing her case. Hoping the older woman would finally say yes. "Everyone will be there, and you've never let me go to town before, so I was hoping that I- I mean "we" could go see all that awesome stuff for once. I've never been to one -

"Gwendolyn."

"..And just think of all the learning stuff I'd be doing! And the fun- mostly the fun. But-"

"Gwendolyn."

"And I promise to keep my magic in check!"

"Gwendolyn!" Verdona called out, resting a delicate hand on top of her protégé's shoulder. "Calm down, dear." She finally sighed, looking down at the over excited crimson haired girl; forcing a comforting smile upon her lips. "I don't think it's such a good idea this time, honey. You're not ready."

"But.. I". Gwen huffed, turning her expression towards her lap, her tiny hands folding inward in disappointment. "I just thought that we could…"

Verdona kneeled slowly onto the wood flooring of her small home, brining herself eye level with her granddaughter, keeping the warm gestures hanging along her already weathered and wrinkled features. "I know you think that you're ready, sweetie. " She lifted Gwen's face eye level with hers. "But we need to be very cautious when it comes to things like this." To stress her point, Verdona then lifted her index finger, and brought out a low magenta filled light. It glowing brighter and brighter until it escalated; fading into the darkness that hovered just above the witches' heads.

Gwendolyn's eyes slowly trailed upward, watching as the glow quickly fizzled out against the ceiling of their rickety little shack. "I know." She scolded herself silently, knowing her grandmother was right. She hated it when Verdona was right; which was most of the time anyway, and that was the worst part of it.

Always was.

"Tell you what." Verdona began, as a big grin plastered itself upon her features. "You continue to train with me- working hard with your powers every day, by learning to keep in it control; I promise to take you to the festivities on your sixteenth birthday. How's that sound?"

Gwen's nose whipped up in slight confusion. "Why sixteen?"

Verdona giggled lightly towards her inexperienced little witch, and used her index finger to nuzzle the girl's nose in a teasing like fashion. "Because, you'll be the same age as I was when I had begun to master many things… Like for example, controlling one's power, sweetheart."

"Ah." Gwen puffed, rolling her emerald pools at the same time. She knew that excuse was going to come out of her Grandmother's mouth. It wasn't a shocking answer to say the least. Verdona could be so predictable inside of any situation. Well, to Gwendolyn anyways. Living with her for those first few years of life helped in that aspect of it.

It also didn't mean that Gwendolyn had to agree with it.

"Now." Verdona began, swiftly changing the subject, quickly removing herself off of the dirt tinged flooring. "Let's see if we can try something new today. Okay, kiddo?"

"Like what?" Gwen asked, seeming most hopeful to the task at hand; her anger of not being able to join the other children in the town below, melting almost instantly. She loved to learn; this much was clear, and she wasted no time in absorbing all of what her Grandmother had to offer her. Over the course of her living with Verdona, Gwen had achieved many things at an alarming rate. The older Anodite was more than impressed, never having any doubts as to how far Gwendolyn would develop into an amazing, and honest sorceress. Hoping that someday, the younger girl would change how people had perceived witches with power, and eventually accepting them like any other magical being that had their own rights to live.

Verdona had let out true, full blown laughter towards her inexperienced Anodite, grabbing herbs, and potions from the pantry; almost dropping one of the bottles during her fits of entertainment from her granddaughter. "We-" She paused for dramatic effect, reaching for just one more canister, "Are going to birth a butterfly today."

"Really!" Gwen gasped out in happiness. She couldn't believe it. This was going to be her very first time making something that would be truly alive; an actual living and breathing being. Gwen couldn't contain her admiration of such a thought. This was going to be huge, big; a most promising achievement if she did in fact reach that particular goal. Just one more step for her to move upward, and to eventually enjoy her time socializing with other people too. This was the day that she was going to prove to Verdona once and for all that she herself was capable of greatness by controlling her gift from the heavenly gods above.

Gwen smiled deviously at such a premise.

**FABLES, FABLES, FABLES**

"Alright, dear, have a seat over here with me please." Verdona pointed as she sat cross legged on the hilltop a few miles away from their home. In order to master a certain spell, the older woman thought that serene silence for concentration was best. Especially for Gwen, whose powers were undoubtedly quite strong. One ounce of distraction could cause any amounts of disastrous outcomes. Dying; per say, wasn't on her lists of things to do. Keeping cautious was always best.

"So what do we do first, Grandma?" Gwen inquired, her voice never dropping from anything less than intrigue. Butterflies, to her, were magical, beautiful and inspiring to all forms of life. This was going to be a wonderment of all wonderments for her. So naturally, the girl was ecstatic.

The older witch didn't respond right away, as Gwen watched diligently from her position in front of Verdona. Her eyes wandering with every move the older woman made. Lighting incents, candles, and placing a tarnished leather bound book by her side. Verdona then closed her eyes, getting herself ready in deep meditation. No matter how many times Gwendolyn witnessed her grandmother doing this; it never seized to amaze her. Someday, she wanted to be just like her grandmother.

But little did she know how much greater she would be.

"Are you ready, kiddo?" Verdona whispered out, keeping her dark blue orbs shut tightly, her body straight and narrow; it aligning with the setting of the sun.

"I can be." The crimson haired girl grinned widely, knowing her grandmother couldn't see her expression. She shifted her body into the same as her teacher's, clamping her eyes closed in meditation as well.

"Well then. Why don't you start by wiping that smile off your face, and begin meditating with me."

Gwen's jaw instantly dropped, although she was already in position, she could've sworn that her Grandma had eyes located all over her; going in every type of direction to see all that had inquired around them. She hated that too. Gwen couldn't get away with anything, and with being a child, it sure put a damper on many childlike things.

"And don't even think about sticking your tongue out at me young lady." At this point Verdona had opened one of her eyes, catching Gwen's facial expression at such an awkward moment, that it caused the older witch to giggle in amusement. "Shall we?" She sighed once again, changing the subject. Although Verdona's patience with the girl ran quite high, it still left little room for when it came to teaching the ways of being an Anodite. This type of magic was serious business, and should never, ever be taken lightly.

With the nod of her head from Gwendolyn, Verdona continued to explain with what they were about to get into. "Now just relax, and focus on your task, sweetie. Stay in meditation. Listen to all of the life provided around you. Embrace it, and know it well. Seek the manna that exists in everyday life; letting it consume you."

Fear over came Gwen at first. This was always the hardest part; letting the manna freely enter her body. When the first time she did it, it seemed as though it was hurting her, but as she began to practice it often enough, it went from prickling pins and needles, to only slight, mild discomfort. But no matter how many times she had done this, it didn't help with her fear. All in all, it was still quite an unpleasant feeling.

"Let your mind's eye focus on the manna- moving your thoughts to form a small delicate creature with wings."

After only a few minutes of meditation, the two Anodites were now glowing with bright, magenta power; both lifting themselves up from the forest floor; swirls of light going in and out, twisting and turning, sparking on every sharp and erupting movement.

Gwendolyn continued to remain calm when she lifted her own body, waiting for the older woman to continue. The discomfort passing; she was now astonished with what she was experiencing at that moment in time. It was just enough to take her own breath away.

"Keep concentrating, Kiddo." Grandma Verdona instructed, her voice never wavering anything higher than a loud whisper. "Don't break the bond. We need it to stay afloat; otherwise we'll come crashing down to the earth."

Gwen inwardly took in a nervous breath.

"Don't break it Gwendolyn, I mean it." Verdona smiled knowingly, both feeling the weight of the pink tinted powers upon their shoulders. She knew that Gwen was strong and smart enough to withhold her concentration. Verdona never had any doubts about that. Her granddaughter was beyond her original thoughts of potential, and knew she could handle a mere mortal's magical spell.

"Breathe." Verdona reminded her student. "Oh, and remember. You must be absolutely precise with speaking the language, Gwendolyn, or it won't work right." The older woman laughed under her breath for a moment or two, and cringed silently to herself on the possibilities of what might happen. "We're not sure what could turn out of it, if you totally slaughter the chant, okay…? … "You ready?"

"No." Came a whimpering cry from just across the way, causing Verdona to chuckle out loud once more. "Repeat after me." She continued, ignoring the younger girl's cry for help. "Sed leo, admirabile et pulchra. Ut vitae datae."

The crimson haired girl listened intently. Hearing every syllable her teacher poured out from her lungs; listening to every "t", "s," "I's" and every letter in between during the chant. She had to get it right the very first time. There was no room left for a mistake. If her grandmother didn't know the outcomes of speaking the chant in such an off filtered manner, she wasn't about to risk it. It had to be one hundred and ten percent accurate.

Once Verdona had finished, it was now Gwendolyn's turn. Opening her mouth to chant the spell, her throat had immediately gone dry. Recovering herself quickly, she chanted out the spell, her voice sounding a bit raspy, but knowingly clear all at the same time; which was very important upon completion with any forms of magical chanting.

Feeling the manna being ripped away harshly from her body, Gwen's eyes had opened suddenly with a forcible jolt. Keeping her concentration at an all time high, she then saw what was being transformed from directly in front of her. The magenta pink hues that were floating all around the girls' had quickly changed into greens, blues, yellows, and oranges; most of them already taking their shape.

Fluttering movements from each colored orb, showed the evidence of a promising wing, folding, and unfolding with each up and down motion it carried about its' being.

The red headed witchling was amazed, speechless, and most of all proud. She, on her own, had just created hundreds and hundreds of small animal like entities.

Verdona was very, very pleased with the outcome. When she first tried the spell years, and years ago, close to Gwendolyn's age, she only managed a small amount of five or so butterflies. But here, seeing her granddaughter make thousands, simply amazed her; making her heart swell up with pride.

**FABLES, FABLES, FABLES**

After her three hour long lessons of spells, enchantments, and over all learning, Verdona allowed young Gwendolyn to explore the world around their home; reminding her to never travel too far; that danger can derive from many forms of life- Human and nature alike.

Gwen of course rolled her eyes in response and told her Grandmother not to wait up for her by the nearest hill top, that she'd meet Verdona at home around dinner time; which gave the older woman a chance to sneak in a cat nap after today's festivities with her star pupil.

Although tired and worn down, Gwendolyn was young enough to bounce back faster than a woman who drastically tripled her own age. So, the extra energy she did have was used towards exploring, and ultimately, more learning of the world around her. She was just fascinated by all accounts of nature, with how things lived and strived to survive.

Walking down a familiar path way that the young girl had taken more times than she could count onto her one hand, she quickly took notice at a deformed- almost petrified tree that she'd never seen on her travels before.

Curiosity getting to the better of her (not to mention that she was a complete tomboy at heart) she just had to climb the large clunky thing and conquer it full force. The big chunk of wood looked quite challenging. So, what better way to feed her need of competition, then by climbing said tree?

Finally reaching for the top, Gwen's eyes widen in awe. She could see the whole village from where she was standing. It was beyond what she considered to be only a dream. It was almost as if she could just touch it, even though it was too far from her reach. How she longed to converse with others' her own age.

"*sigh*Why didn't I notice this stupid, ugly looking tree before?" She questioned to herself out loud, reaching for another tight knit branch from above. She needed to get higher up for an even better view of the small village that she always longed for.

Rustling of the trees around her however, brought the girl out of her fantasy ideas all together. She hesitated with moving at first, waiting for the sound to reach her ears once again. When nothing happened, thinking that it must have been a wild animal of some kind, the girl continued to lift a foot onto another branch, reaching for another to pull herself onto yet another tree limb.

That's when an unfamiliar voice spoke to her, causing her to stop in mid stride.

"That's because it's my stupid, ugly lookin' tree," Came a gruff reply echoing just below her feet.

Gwen was startled at first, but kept her composure quite well. Moving some debris from her view, she peered down, seeing an overly well dressed dark haired boy. He seemed to be about her age from the looks of it. Well… She thought he was any way. It was hard to tell being a bit higher than usual.

"And who says that this is your tree?" The crimson girl snapped back, grinning at her intruder maniacally. "I don't see your name on it!"

The boy sneered just as playfully at her while bringing out a small pocket knife from his trouser's pocket; displaying it so he knew she would see the device. "Like I said, it's mine." He then began to carve his name upon the bark of the tree, running the knife rapidly though out the veins of its outer shell. "See?" He laughed hoarsely, pointing to his handy work. "It does have my name on it." He turned up towards the girl, the smile never leaving his face. "Now don't make me do somethin' about it by kicking your ugly butt off of my secret "ugly" tree."

Gwen growled under her breath, releasing an intake of air she didn't realize she was withholding. Grabbing a branch between her two hands in anger, she decided that now was not the time or place to show him her true powers, or potential. She didn't know who he was, or who he hung out with. Her life would hang in the balance if she were to share that part of her life with him. Not to mention Grandma Verdona's furiousness if she ever found out. Which… She always did find out. So, she decided to try and scare the poor kid with her expertise battle skills she'd been taking from her Grandfather for over the past year and a half.

Angling herself just right, Gwen tilted her body forward and out, shifting her weight so she could twirl herself upside down while holding onto each branch, swinging as if she were a professional acrobat from a sold out, three ringed circus.

With each moving pass, the boy intently watched her. At first not impressed with her simple movements, but it then gradually grew wider with each difficult twist and roll she had conquered during her decent to the ground below. It was majestic, hard core, but all in all delicate in every sense of the word.

Gwen finally came in contact with the earth below, and took a defensive stance; her hands straight as an arrow's point, her brow arched in such a way that told the boy to "do his worse, and to "bring it on" as best as he possibly could.

She was far from being scared.

The boy however just stood there silent. Gwen then rolled her eyes back at him out of annoyance. "Well?" She questioned, keeping her strong willed defiance around him. "Care to say that to me again?" She taunted, finally brining that grin back upon her rose tinted lips.

"Wooow…" Was all that escaped from the young man's mouth- realizing that he was showing his emotions of being impressed, the kid quickly shook his head, snapping out of his enticing trance. "I mean-" He stuttered a bit under his breath, and continued. "For a girl? I guess that's pretty good."

"Uh, huh." Gwen replied unconvinced, knowing she had him right where she wanted him, but also realizing too, that he was in fact trying to be sincere, so, she figured she should at least try and be some of that; paying the kindness forward as well. "I'm Gwendolyn," She proclaimed smiling sweetly, holding out her hand in good gesture, waiting for the young man to oblige at the same time.

The boy hesitated, lifting a brow at her in uncertainty. Seeing her warm smile though, told him that everything was going to be okay. He didn't know why he was suddenly drawn to her, or why he felt the sudden urgency of feeling safe around her, it was just an emotion that over whelmed him completely.

Smiling himself, he reached out for her hand, and took it gently, watching as their fingers met up with each other. "Kevin." He simply said, their hands never unlocking for a few minutes more.

"This is weird." Kevin finally spoke after a few moments of absolute silence between the two of them. He finally let go of her hand, watching as it dropped swiftly to her side.

"Y-yeah." Gwen agreed, looking towards her way home, anything to keep herself from staring. "I really should be getting home. My grandmother's probably wondering where I am by now."

"Yeah." Kevin lamely sighed out, silently kicking himself for coming up with such a nerdy type of response. "Um… Sorry about the whole ugly, uh- thing." He finishes, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He didn't know what was coming over him. He never acted this way around anyone, and it was more than an uncomfortable feeling to say the least.

"Don't worry about it, I'll live." The red headed girl replied, finding that she had been grinning from ear to ear the whole time. She really did need to go home though. Grandma Verdona was seriously going to bring hell upon her if she didn't make it back home by dinner time.

As Gwen turned to leave, an idea struck her hard. Could this boy be her very first friend? "No." She quickly thought to herself. "Grandma would kill me knowing that I'm talking to a stranger." Then another idea hit her twice as hard. "What Grandma doesn't know, won't hurt her, right?" She put a hand to her chin in deep thought. "..and I just learned how to do a blocking spell about a month ago. I mean.. If it's in small doses- So maybe-?"

Gwen spun around full circle, staring on at the boy with mixed emotions running frantically through her own bones. "Would you like to meet me here tomorrow?" She sputtered out without even thinking. Realizing her mistake she finishes with, "I'm sorry. I mean… If you wanted to- I really don't want to make you and stuff, if you don't want to- it's your choice if you do or not- I mean-

"Sure. Why not?" Kevin shrugged carelessly. "I got nothin' else better to do."

And with that, Gwendolyn smiled and turned away, heading towards her Grandmother's shack, unknowingly leaving Kevin smiling like a full blown idiot in her dust.

Unbeknownst to her, was that she was going to be Kevin's very first friend too.

Grandma Verdona would so not approve...

**I hope you all enjoyed it, and leave me a sweet little review!**

**Thank you all! The Spoon. :D**


	2. Secrets and Close Encounters

Keeping her special secret from Verdona was getting tremendously more and more difficult with each passing day. The spell she used at a constant, daily rate was especially the hardest.

Gwen didn't know how much longer the casting she used would ultimately last, but she did without a doubt, enjoyed having a friend of her very own. Kevin was beginning to be quite the ally to have hanging around, and she loved it.

Gwen was actually thrilled for all of the recent adventures they had been having; swimming in the river, laying out in the sun to dry, talking, and getting to know each other- games such as hide-and-seek, and a fun, brand new game Kevin had taught her- called "tag". Though, with that game, she thought Kevin had the tendency to push, or shove too aggressively. But, to her, boys will be boys, naturally. Especially when Kevin stressed time and time again that her fighting back was doomed to be practically pointless.

She knew she was different; stubborn for sure, and above all else, smart and one tough cookie herself. Gwen could handle anything that boy would dish out; sometimes even biting back twice as hard. She knew in her heart that Kevin liked that about her.

…Even though he never showed it.

That was why she felt they made the best of friends. They understood one another- without words having to be said.

But, this was the least of Gwen's worries of whether or not Kevin truly liked her as a good friend.

For now, slipping out after breakfast almost every morning, proved to be extremely challenging. Grandma Verdona wasn't blind by any means, spell or no spell, and the older woman had an inkling about things that were never up to "par". One idea Gwen wished most for was that her grandma's old age would help her out with such detail. Still, as young as the witchling was, she adored the whole idea of a hefty challenge.

"So.." Verdona hummed, her lips caressing the steaming mug of her morning herbal tea, blowing on it tenderly to try and cool the liquid lava that beamed up towards her senses. "Have anything new and exciting planned for the day, Kiddo?"

Gwen stared down at her toast, and slowly swallowed the bit she had been distractedly chewing on for well over a minute now. The thing was quite soggy at this point. "Um… Well…"

Verdona chuckled with Gwen's hesitation, and drank more of her tea. Her left eye and brow arching to get a quick look at her granddaughter's expression. "Hm." The older of the two interrupted. "Well, if you haven't any plans, dear, the garden out back could use some of your attention.

"Wild flowers!" Gwen boomed out, as she dropped her glass of fresh squeezed orange juice onto the table, catching it in time before it had the potential to fall over. Verdona smiled mischievously at Gwen's eagerness; the child fighting with all her might to not falter her true intentions surrounding about her day.

"It's just that, um, since you said yesterday, that I could have some free time on my own today- the table could use some cheering up- that's all… I… I guess…"

Gwen had deflated. It would seem that it was game over, and she knew it. Shoot, even Grandma Verdona had to have known by now too.

"Ah." The grey haired woman simply chimed out. Gwen winced quickly at her teacher's short reply. "Here it comes" she thought. "I'm dead, I'm dead, I am sooooo dea-"

"Sounds lovely, Gwenny! Such a good idea!" Verdona smiled broadly, abruptly getting up from her chair and patting the girl's crimsoned, carrot top head. "Just remember to back before dark. Ogres love to roam the flower beds before dusk." She wiggled her index finger into further stressing her point. "It's bad business when they come around with their big clumsy feet-" she paused only a moment, her face dripping with distaine. "Not to mention their fowl odor- Yuck!"

Gwen giggled as she watched her grandmother react to the off putting memory, her wrinkled hand waving across her nose frantically. "What?" Verdona remarked with a crooked grin growing about her rosy cheeks. "It's true. Trust me, kiddo. You'll know by the smell alone that they're around."

The young red headed girl rolled her eyes, finishing off her toasted bread, then, drinking down her beverage without a single breath. "Okay Grandma." She choked, wiping her mouth off with her arm. "I'm heading out now."

"Be careful, Gwen. I mean it." Verdona said sternly, walking her pupil to the door, it creaking eerily as it opened. "And keep your nose clear for any sign of those dimwitted ogres."

Gwen smiled and simply rolled her eyes once more, heading off towards the meadow of the wild flowers. Where, of course, Grandma Verdona expected her to be.

Kevin, on the other hand, was less than half of a mile north down by the river bed; waiting for the girl to show up, hopefully with a snack in tow.

Waiting had become quite the job for him nowadays, and this required much nutrition to stay alert and awake.

At least by the well known "Kevin Levin standards".

Gwen continued down the path towards the meadow of flowers, turning her head to look back every so often to make sure that she knew when her grandmother was out of sight. Getting caught at this point would just break her heart. She was just having way too much fun for it to all be taken away from her now. 'No', Gwen thought; she'd be more than heartbroken.

"Devistated, really." She mumbled aloud, her hand wisp ping along the foliage as she passed by. "I mean, sure he can be such a butthead beyond imaginable depths, but, I just don't think-"

"Bout time, short stuff." A voice rang out, disrupting her thoughts AGAIN as the crimson haired girl's head sprang up- her eyes narrowing at her intruder.

"I thought we were meeting at the river?" Gwen crossed her arms heatedly over her chest. Bright green orbs looking to the left, and then to the right. The young witch was obviously confused.

"We _are_ at the river, doofus. Did you get bashed on top of the head on your way over here or somethin'?" Kevin crossed his arms over his chest in defiance too. Man was this girl acting loopy. "Take a look around you… Notice anything _familiar _there, Gwen?"

Gwen shifted her stance and glanced around. Making sure she drank in all of her surroundings very carefully; immediately seeing certain life that only said rivers would bring.

With a heavy, gut retching sigh, she knew.

Kevin was right she was in fact at the river bed.

But how did she take the right path without even looking, or thinking for that matter?

Gwen hugged and peered down at her feet with annoyance. Sometimes her new friend over there could make her feel so incredibly stupid, that it made her stomach drop for miles right onto the forest floor.

"Kevin." She sighed, fidgeting slightly like she was at war with her own fingers, each one twiddling and dancing with the other for dominance.

"Sometimes, I could just sma-"

"You didn't bring any food with ya, did you." Kevin broke out; making the whole thing sound more like a statement of fact- rather than one of his popular "bad timing" questions.

That was it. That was the question that broke the camel's back. Without warning, Gwen's eyes filled with rage as she let off a huge battle cry, lunging at her so called "friend". Both, falling effortlessly into the cold, black river waters.

Shouting's of "I'm going to kill you", along with several splashes of deep laughter and water were the only signs of life. But little did they know, a single lurker was hiding back into the shadows- observing it's potential prey.

The two friends didn't even realize that the forest around them had quickly gone colder than the rumbling waters and that it got dangerously quiet.

**TAME TAME TAME**

Kevin pushed Gwen's head under the water, her red hair flowing all around him at his sides; delicate arms wailing about, trying to feel for a potential spot to drop the boy to his knees. But, Kevin was no easy feat, and Gwen knew it. Hearing the dark haired comrade's laughter through it all caused her to see even more red and anger. At her last stitch effort, she did the most unthinkable thing she could manage, and began to chant one of her beginner's unbalancing spells. Luckily for her, the water was much too murky for Kevin to even realize that her eyes were radiating a bright, pinkish hue.

Kevin wasn't sure as to what had hit him off guard, and he fell ungracefully into the dark depths below his feet. Trying to gain his lost footing, grabbing whatever he could on his way down; rocks, seaweed, pieces of drift wood, anything.

But, to no avail. The boy finally, tired and worn had given up. The spell was taking over his actions. He thought at that moment he was going to die; that this was it; that he was finally going to bite "the big one".

Then, as quickly as it came, the feeling of tremendous weight had been lifted off from his whole entire being- Kevin finally had the chance to swim up to the water's surface to catch some air.

"What- the- heck- was that!" Kevin choked out, his chest heaving dramatically to catch a single breath as he wiped the water and drenched hair from his eyes.

Gwen just stood there- her face blank from disbelief- mouth hanging open and speechless.

"Well!" Kevin pressed on, slowly making his way closer to the girl. "Seriously, Gwen, what the heck was that! One moment we're like- having fun in the river. Then the next thing I know- I'm drowning, fighting for my life!"

Still, Gwen had said absolutely nothing, and intern, was making Kevin grow more and more impatient with her, his black, dark orbs seething with rage.

With a roll of his eyes, Kevin aggressively spat out- "For the love of- I mean… Say somethin', anything, Gwen!"

Gwen screwed her eyes shut, her arms hanging tightly at her waist, should she? Could she mention of what she had just done? Telling Kevin her deepest secrets of having this massive power would most likely kill her chances of ever having a string of normalcy, or having him as a friend, or worse, him running off and "selling" her to those hell hounds that were already ruling by Warlock Hex's side.

She knew Kevin quite well, but not enough to entrust him with such a tale. She couldn't, wouldn't ruin what all she had gained thus far.

Trust, or no trust.

"No." Gwen shakily and silently breathed out, her voice trembling with fear.

"No?" Kevin repeated in shock, his fists clenching with anger. "Whattya mean, 'no'?" He just couldn't believe this. The boy thought this girl was his friend. What so called "friend" didn't trust their companion with any form of secrecy? Kevin turned his gaze down at the water, sighing in defeat and with a heavy heart, began to make his way back onto the shore. He couldn't take it. If Gwen didn't want to open up to him; then why should he press it? It's not like it would be the first time he had ever been rejected… Right?

Kevin continued to make his way over to the shore of the river. His pride shot, and his body aching form the whole drowning ordeal. As his foot pressed onto the soft muddy landing, he heard the girl whisper out something- something too somber for his own ears to make out.

Kevin spun on his heel- his expression towards the girl was dangerously hard. "What now? You wanna make fun of me while you're at it? Or how 'bout kicking me down when I'm at my lowest, like all of the other stupid people out there who had done it to me in the past?" He took a second or two to catch his breath. "Sometimes, I just don't get you, Gwen!"

Gwen, dripping and drenched with the river water hugged herself even tighter. She hated it when Kevin would go on the defensive. She wanted to tell him. She really did. But before she knew it, her green delicate eyes began filling and pooling up with tears. She didn't want the boy to see her so weak… So vulnerable, but she couldn't help herself- her arms suddenly began to shake. Not out of anger, but in her own defeat of Kevin seeing her this way, along with the thought of losing her only true friend.

No- Not now, not ever…

"Please." She quivered out from her now bluish tinted lips. "Please, Kevin… Don't leave me… Not like this, okay?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Kevin spat back venomously, unknowingly making his way towards the crimson haired girl, right back into the black waters he almost died in. "It's not like you're giving me a choice here… Or.. Are you?"

Gwen hesitated- feeding Kevin's frustrations even more. But the boy didn't act on it right away. He at least wanted to hear his friend out. After all, seeing her this way did soften him up just a tad bit. Whatever secret she was keeping had to be something life changing, or threatening. Kevin may act stupid at times, but, he wasn't that mentally stupid.

Softening his cold glare, Kevin slowly raised a tender hand upon her shoulder, squeezing it with small amounts of reassurance. "Look… Whatever _this_ is? We'll take it one step at a time. No matter how bad it is."

"No." Gwen said repetitively once more. Kevin wanted to lash out so badly, but refrained and bit his tongue. He could tell that she was struggling with whatever it was she was struggling with, and he didn't want to mess this all up. Something in the back of his mind was telling him not to- that she was about to spill what she had been keeping from him since the day they had met.

"It's not anything bad…" She moved forward, Kevin's patience with her was finally paying off. "At least… Not yet." She brought a hand up to her face, wiping a few tears off from her cheek.

"Okaaay, if knowing's gonna hurt me- well, I guess I don't care. I mean… That's what it really comes down to for me anyways." Kevin chuckled and folded his arms, his grin deepening with a certain maniacal essence. "Trust me, Gwen. When have you ever known me for caring about anything?"

It was Gwen's turn to laugh at the comical boy's fancy one liners. No matter how serious, or hardcore any situation was, Kevin knew how to pull the lighter side of things into their reality. That's what she liked most about her best friend.

With a deep intake of air, Gwen was now ready to share her secret with Kevin, who had been wanting to know the details of such horror for over the past few minutes, but she stopped in mid stride suddenly, her body going stiff once again, this time, gaining Kevin's more worrying type of attention.

"What's wrong?" The dark haired boy growled out, his features growing stone cold like it had only a few moments prior.

"Something-" Gwen raised her nose into the air, taking in the full scent that circled around them. "Smells like the living dead, ugh!" Her eyes began to widen with fear. "Oh no, Kevin.. It's-"

"Hey, for the record-" Kevin interrupted, his brows furrowing in embarrassment from the last time they were together. "It's definitely NOT me this time, I swear!"

"I promise you that it has nothing to do with that, Kevin. It's-"

Rustling from the bushes caused the two to frantically turn around. There, stood an Ogre, at least 18 feet in length. It didn't take long for the creature to howl out, running full force towards them- head on.

"OGRE!" The two shouted out, sprinting quickly from the cool river as fast as their feet would carry them, with the Ogre's growl and smell growing stronger with each passing foot step.

"Kevin! We need-"

"A plan, I know!" Kevin disrupted the girl, his breath short and shallow. Weeds and branches started cutting into their skins like a knife as they ran through the dense forest.

Gwen had dodged a few rocks- avoiding a downfall into the deep ditches below. Kevin hit at least one that she knew of, but gained his balance quite quickly. It seemed that her spell from earlier didn't have any lasting effects on the boy.

Gwen felt more than relieved.

Coming to a thicket, the two companions were stopped short as they heard the tree tops falling from the green beast, rushing to be near them, or, to eat them.

"We're trapped!" Gwen cried out, her hands desperately seeking for any sort of a small opening. "Grandma's gonna kill me!"

"Not if you're already dead!" Kevin replied, pushing her hastily out of his way- to see if he could find an opening with fresh new eyes. He realized that Gwen wasn't any good with staying level headed in these types of life or death situations. Maybe with time she'd-

"Kevin, we have got to get out of here!" Gwen bellowed out into the boy's ear, causing him to bring a hand up to the side of his face in agony. Though, this wasn't the time, nor the place to start an argument about the matter.

The Ogre was already at their feet. Kevin looked at Gwen's horrified expression and discovered that if he didn't act swiftly, they were both going to be some grotesque and heartless beast's free lunch.

"Not gonna happen." Kevin growled under his breath, and without a seconds hesitation or thought, he extended his left arm out onto the large bolder at his side; trying hard to not break his concentration. "I'm not going to just sit here and let big ugly over there make a meal out of me."

At this, Gwen turned her attention back onto her friend. For some reason she couldn't rip her stare away. It was as if some magical force was pulling the girl in; making her watch. Her green orbs quickly doubled their size, her jaw frozen, hanging wide open. She could not believe what was materializing before her. Was this a dream- no- a nightmare? That had to be a nightmare. A nightmare she just could not wake up from, because Kevin- well, Kevin- he had…

"K-Kevin…?" Gwen's voice began to betray her- quivering, her throat going awfully dry with every small swallow she took. "You… You have powers?"

_**I am so sorry guys that it takes me forever to update… But, I really want to make sure that my ideas are good, and worth the read. Which I HOPE is the case with this chapter. So… If you would? Leave me a sweet little review to let me know!**_

_**HUGS!**_

_**The Spoon. :D**_


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